Hoverboards Added to Banned List at Churchill
Description:
Hoverboards are the only 2016 addition to Churchill Downs' list of security "do's and don'ts" for the May 6 Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). While the hoverboard ban is the latest addition to banned Derby and Oaks items, it will be in effect throughout the year at the track.
The ban is due to several reports of incidents in which hoverboards have burst into flames while in use, Churchill said in a release.
It follows decisions by Churchill Downs in 2015 to ban selfie sticks, drones and remote-controlled aircraft from its grounds during Kentucky Derby week and all year. Churchill said the track and its law enforcement partners imposed those bans because of security and safety concerns for the massive crowds throughout Kentucky Derby and Oaks week.
Aside from the addition of hoverboards, the list of security policies and items approved or prohibited for carry-in on Kentucky Derby and Oaks days will be similar to past years.
The 2016 security policies and procedures list continues to include a ban on carry-in coolers at admission gates 1, 3, 5, 10, and 17. Other prohibited items include cans and glass bottles, alcoholic beverages, laptop computers and camcorders, pop-up or patron tents, cameras with detachable lenses, tripods, grills, backpacks, luggage, thermoses, umbrellas, weapons, and fireworks.
Permitted items for Derby and Oaks carry-in include food items in clear plastic bags (maximum size of 18" x 18"), box lunches in clear plastic bags (maximum size 18" x 18") or containers. Also allowed are small cameras with attached lenses, purses that are 12" or smaller in dimension, unopened water and soft drinks in clear plastic containers, and sunscreen in non-glass containers.
Diaper bags and strollers are allowed for patrons accompanied by a child. Binoculars and electronic items that include cell phones, smartphones, tablets, small personal music systems, radios and small televisions will be permitted.
All purses and other bags are subject to search.
A complete list of the prohibited and permitted items can be found at the Kentucky Derby event website and at the Churchill Downs website.
It is also a Kentucky Derby and Oaks policy to prohibit re-entry to the track for ticketed patrons who leave the grounds during those programs.
The policy was announced last year and grew out of security concerns regarding wait times at the track's entry gates, and incidents in which counterfeit tickets and wristbands and previously-scanned tickets were sold outside the track's admission gates.